All posts by Associate Editor

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, USEF

Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge to Host 2011 Exquis World Dressage Masters CDI5*

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Steffen Peters and Ravel at the World Dressage Masters. Photo by Ken Braddick.

West Palm Beach, FL – Pending FEI approval, the Exquis World Dressage Masters CDI5* has been rescheduled for March 9-12 at the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge in West Palm Beach, FL. The featured event, the Freestyle, will be held under the lights on Friday evening. The only CDI5* held annually in the United States, the World Dressage Masters attracts some of the world’s best.

Over the last two years, World, Olympic and World Cup Champions have all been in attendance and 2011 promises to not disappoint. Held for the first time at the world-class Palm Beach County Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach – South Florida will again welcome the dressage world.

For more information, please visit: http://www.wellingtonclassicdressage.com/index.html or http://www.worlddressagemasters.com/EN/. Please contact Eva Salomon with questions at esalomon@usef.org.

Awards, Breeds, Contributors/Press, Events, USEF

PHR Silver Stirrup Awards Kick Off the Festivities at the USEF Annual Meeting

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USEF's Trisha Watkins with Silver Stirrup recipient Ashley Guidry. Photo by Geoff Oliver Bugbee/USEF.

Lexington, KY – Honors for the best in U.S. sport horse owners, breeders and sires were presented at the Performance Horse Registry’s (PHR) Annual Silver Stirrup Awards during the first of many celebrations hosted at the 2011 United States Equestrian Federation’s Annual Meeting held at the Downtown Hyatt in Lexington from January 19-23. Also on Thursday, the inaugural American Performance Horse Awards and the USEF/Rood & Riddle Thoroughbred Horses in Sport Awards were also bestowed.

Attendants from across the country applauded the horse owners and breeders. Among the many awards was one presented by familiar PHR and Silver Stirrup Awards sponsors Joan Irvine Smith and The Oaks. The winner of the South Pacific Award for Leading U.S.-based Jumper Sire, Lio Calyon (Holliostro x Zoellnerin), is owned by Wild Turkey Farm in Woodside, CA.

The Performance Horse Registry came to the USEF via the Jockey Club in 2000. Today, it serves several purposes: first, it is the main source of complete pedigree data on horses at the Federation. It also serves as a registry for horses that do not fit into the typical breed registry format. Many horses enter the PHR to do both: get their horse’s entire pedigree recorded with the Federation, and obtain identification papers for their horses. Those horses competing in USEF-licensed competitions can be nominated for the Silver Stirrup Awards.

Continue reading PHR Silver Stirrup Awards Kick Off the Festivities at the USEF Annual Meeting →

*Featured/Spotlights, Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Dressage, Equestrian Assistance, Eventing/H.T., USEF

USEF Passes New Safety Helmet Rules for Eventing and Dressage Riders

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Steffen Peters wore a helmet during the Dressage Freestyle at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Photo by Shannon Brinkman/USEF Archive.

Lexington, KY – The Board of Directors during this year’s United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Annual Meeting approved new helmet rules for riders in both eventing and dressage – just two weeks after dozens of stakeholders in equestrian sport met with the goal of improving rider safety across disciplines.

”If the technology is available to reduce head injuries, the time to use it is now,” said USEF President David O’Connor. “I am very proud of our organization for taking this very important step. It is a huge direction of change.”

Briefly, the first rule change requires anyone on a horse to wear a ASTM/SEI-approved helmet at all times while mounted on competition grounds at U.S. nationally rated eventing competitions. The rule change is effective immediately.

Further specifics regarding the changes to the rule for Protective Headgear for Eventing (EV 114.1) will be posted here in the future: http://www.usef.org/_IFrames/RuleBook/Changes/2011.aspx.

Continue reading USEF Passes New Safety Helmet Rules for Eventing and Dressage Riders →

*Featured/Spotlights, Awards, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, USEF, Western/Reining, World Equestrian Games

McCutcheon Scores 2010 USEF Equestrian of the Year Title; Harris Honored for a Lifetime of Excellence

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Tom McCutcheon, Don Harris and Kelsey Kimbler. Photo: Geoff Oliver Bugbee/USEF

Lexington, KY – In a year that equestrian sport was forever changed in the United States, an all-American horseman was honored for his golden achievement. For the second consecutive year, the voters for USEF Horse and Equestrian of the Year have crowned a horse and his rider as champions in both categories.

Tom McCutcheon, the only American double Gold medalist at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games had barely finished celebrating the achievements of Gunners Special Nite as 2010 Farnam/Platform USEF Horse of the Year on Friday evening at the USEF Annual Meeting, when he would find himself on stage again, this time picking up an honor all his own.

McCutcheon wrote his place in history, becoming the first reiner to be crowned USEF Equestrian of the Year.

Continue reading McCutcheon Scores 2010 USEF Equestrian of the Year Title; Harris Honored for a Lifetime of Excellence →

*Featured/Spotlights, Awards, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, USEF, Western/Reining, World Equestrian Games

Double Gold Medalist Gunners Special Nite Named 2010 Farnam/Platform USEF Horse of the Year

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Gunners Special Nite. Photo: Shannon Brinkman/USEF

Lexington, KY – The city of Lexington was largely defined by the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010, so it proved a fitting setting to crown the 2010 Farnam/Platform USEF Horse of the Year.

And the winner couldn’t be more all-American.

The only multiple Gold medal-winning horse for Team USA, Gunners Special Nite, a six-year-old American Quarter Horse, brought the sport of reining to the forefront of the American equestrian community. People who had never heard of reining watched Gunners Special Nite put in a foot-perfect effort to cruise to victory with the Adequan U.S. Reining Team on NBC’s Broadcast. The team won a Team Gold medal by the largest margin in history.

But it was the Individual Championship where Gunners Special Nite stood out above the rest of the field. His performance with steely veteran Tom McCutcheon brought down the house in the Alltech Arena and secured Gunners Special Nite’s place in the history books.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=13065

Contributors/Press, Disciplines, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Products/Services, Show Jumping

Adequan Hunter Highlights Competition at All 2011 HITS Horse Shows and the Marshall & Sterling League

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©ESI Photography. HITS' Kristen Vale and Mary Moeller congratulate Katie Milton and If You Say So after winning the Adequan Hunter Championship at the 2010 Marshall & Sterling League National Finals.

SAUGERTIES, NY (January 28, 2011) — HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce that Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc., manufacturers of Adequan (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan), the only FDA-approved disease modifying osteoarthritic drug treatment for equine non-infectious degenerative joint disease, will once again sponsor the popular Adequan Hunter Division at all HITS horse shows nationwide.

Luitpold Animal Health believes that the demands on show horses, particularly at the top performance level, require attention to details and a solid plan for maintaining soundness.

Adequan i.m. is the flagship equine product from Luitpold Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Unlike corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which only ease the source of pain and decrease inflammation of the synovial membrane, Adequan i.m. breaks the destructive disease cycle associated with osteoarthritis. It helps to restore the natural cycle of “wear and repair” within a joint and blocks the enzymes that damage joints and restores synovial lubrication within the joint. The treatment regime of 1 intramuscular injection every 4 days for 7 treatments protects cartilage structure, inhibits cartilage damage and stimulates the natural cartilage repair process. It also decreases inflammation and relieves the pain associated with DJD.

Continue reading Adequan Hunter Highlights Competition at All 2011 HITS Horse Shows and the Marshall & Sterling League →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping, USEF

2011 USEF Junior Hunter National Championships – East Coast Returns to HITS-on-the-Hudson

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©Lili Weik Photography. Taylor Ann Adams is congratulated after winning the 2009 Essex Classics/USHJA Hunterdon Cup at HITS Saugerties.

Wildcard Berths for the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final to Be Awarded to Champion Riders from Each of the Four Junior Hunter Sections

SAUGERTIES, NY (January 28, 2011) — HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce that the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has selected HITS-on-the-Hudson to be the host site for the 2011 Junior Hunter National Championships – East Coast, marking the return of the event to HITS facility for the sixth time in the past seven years.

The 2011 USEF Junior Hunter Championships – East Coast will be held August 1-3, between HITS-on-the-Hudson V and VI, at the HITS-on-the-Hudson show grounds in Saugerties, New York. The Championships will feature competition for all four sections of Junior Hunters: Small Juniors 15 and Under, Large Juniors 15 and Under, Small Juniors 16-17 and Large Juniors 16-17. Also held during this competition is the popular and prestigious Hunterdon Cup, which offers an exciting equitation championship for junior riders. Equitation classes will kick things off with the USEF/Pessoa Hunter Seat Medal, the ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship Medal, and the WIHS Equitation Classic taking place the first day of competition.

Continue reading 2011 USEF Junior Hunter National Championships – East Coast Returns to HITS-on-the-Hudson →

Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation

Scott Stewart and Touchdown Score Week 3 Championship in Green Conformation Hunters

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Scott Stewart and Touchdown are the Green Conformation Hunter champions during the third week of the 2011 FTI WEF. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 27, 2011 – The third week of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, which runs through April 3, is into its second day of competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. The Green Conformation Hunters awarded their championship today in the E. R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring.

The sun was shining today as the Green Conformation Hunter division awarded Scott Stewart of Flemington, NJ, top honors. Stewart was aboard his own entry Touchdown, a six-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Quattro B. Stewart rode to the tricolor among a starting field of eight entries.

Stewart was off to a great start on Wednesday, the first day of competition, when he and Touchdown won both over fences classes and placed fifth under saddle. The pair won another over fences class the second day of competition and was fifth in the remaining class of the division.

Continue reading Scott Stewart and Touchdown Score Week 3 Championship in Green Conformation Hunters →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Show Jumping

Darragh Kenny and Gael Force Gallop to Victory in $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 3

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Darragh Kenny and Gael Force won the $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 3 at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 27, 2011 – Irish rider Darragh Kenny and Gael Force, owned by Missy Clark and North Run, earned top honors in round three of the $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup on Thursday afternoon at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Sponsored by Nespresso, the WEF is in its third of 12 weeks of competition at the beautiful Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). The circuit will continue through April 3, 2011.

Olaf Petersen, Sr. of Germany is designing the courses in the International Arena for week three and set a great course for the afternoon’s competition. Eight of the original 42 horse and rider combinations jumped clear to advance to the jump-off round.

Competitors were then asked to navigate a short course that displayed dynamic speed and power. Four were able to jump double clear, and it was the fastest round of Darragh Kenny and Gael Force in 43.31 seconds that earned top honors. The pair left out a stride in the last line that made the difference.

Continue reading Darragh Kenny and Gael Force Gallop to Victory in $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 3 →

Contributors/Press, Media/Radio/TV Sources

Stable Scoop Episode 128 by Omega Alpha – One on One with Anna Twinney, Is Animal Communication Real?

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Glenn goes One on One with Anna Twinney to find out if animal communication is real. Glenn is a skeptic and wants to find out if telepathy and animal communication is real or is it the realm of charlatans. Did Anna change Glenn’s mind? Listen in and see…

Stable Scoop Episode 128 – Show Notes and Links:

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